Quest for the Divine Flame
by kolchaksghost
Summary: Twilight/PJO-Heroes of Olympus crossover.  Bella is the daughter of Victoria, Roman Goddess of Victory.  She returns to Forks from camp and meets our favorite vamp family.  Bella/Tanya femslash.
1. Chapter 1

**Quest for the Divine Flame**

_Disclaimer for the entire story: I don't own Twilight or Heroes of Olympus, SM and Rick Riordan do. The only thing I own is this story and any original characters._

**AN: So far there is only one book in the Heroes of Olympus series and it really didn't touch on the details of Camp Roman so I had to take a shot in the dark. Now for some housekeeping: **_***bold italics***_** indicates Latin while **_**"italics"**_** is Italian. **

_Prologue: New Cub_

_Charlie Swan glanced nervously over his shoulder at the sleeping seven-year-old girl in the back seat of his car. From the day her mother and cradled their infant daughter in his arms then vanished, he had known this day would come. Despite the criticism from the people of Forks, Washington, that a single man had no business raising a girl on his own and that he was trying to turn her into a son, Charlie did his best to prepare her for this day. As much as he loved his home town and its people, they had no idea about the truth of things so he never faulted them for there opinions. Besides, those rumors had gotten a little better when his mom, Marie, had moved in with them. While he was confident that his little Bella knew enough of the basics to hold her own for what were to come but that hadn't stopped a father's worry that she might not make it._

_Memories bubbled up in the older man's mind as his car ate up the miles from Washington State to the Sonoma Valley in California. He smiled as images of teaching her how to fish with that Pocket Fisherman when she was three. The little thing had fallen into the water several times; the last time when she'd actually hooked a fish. Unlike other kids, especially girls, that would've cried and given up after falling into the river, Bella refused to give up. Each time he'd pulled her from the water the tiny girl became more determined to succeed. That last time after she hooked her first fish, he'd known better that to help her land it. Instead, he held on tightly to her small shoulders and let her win the fight on her own. The victorious smile that lit up her face after she finally landed the struggling creature reminded Charlie so much of her mother._

_The next time he'd seen that smile was when he was called to pick her up from kindergarten. A five-year-old Bella, sporting a split lip and several bruises, wore her mother's smile and a defiant glint in her eyes while another girl, Lauren Mallory, cried in the background. Mr. and Mrs. Mallory arrived then the teacher explained how Lauren had been his daughter. All of the other kids and the teacher agreed that Bella had tried to avoid the fight but the other girl kept pushing until she defended herself. Lauren had ended up with a broken nose and missing her two front teeth._

_The last of his memories that played out was from earlier in the week. Charlie had taken the day of from work to spend it with Bella for her seventh birthday; being the Chief of Police had its advantages, especially when he hardly ever took time off and there was very little crime in Forks. He went into her room to wake her up and spent a few minutes just watching the child. Bella was still small for her age; she had mahogany hair with natural red highlights that her Nana kept cut to shoulder length, a heart shaped face, his chocolate brown eyes and a bow shaped mouth. She was also independent, stubborn, a little on the clumsy side and a demigod like her father but more powerful._

_Where Charlie was the son of Mars, his mother had been human. Bella's mother had been the goddess, Victoria. Because he was a demigod that meant that her divine aspect made up three quarters of her being. It was being only a quarter human that made her clumsy. From the time of her birth, both Charlie and Marie had known that Bella had a special destiny._

_The little girl awoke with a start while her father was still looking at her and her eyes locked onto his then she leapt into her arms shaking. Nana Marie had been whipping up Bella's favorite chocolate chip pancakes so while the three of them ate, Charlie asked his baby if she'd had a bad dream. The two adults shared a look when small demigoddess explained about burnt houses, wolves and a woman's voice telling her to come. The dream was expected but the reason for the look was because the young girl had been speaking in Latin. Marie had made sure the Bella was fluent in Italian so that by the time she was in school, she was bi-lingual but neither she nor Charlie had taught her Latin._

_It had been later that night that that the older demigod received a dream omen of his own. In the dream, Charlie stood in front of a huge bon fire in the center of an army camp. He looked around but wasn't able to find any soldier. His father walked out of the largest tent and approached._

_***My son, the time has come for Isabella to prove she is worthy of the blood that flows through her veins,* **__Mars told him in no uncertain terms. _

_***Yes, father, how long before her trial,***__ he asked as he knelt before the god._

_***She must be at the sacred starting place by sunrise on Saturn's Day,***__ the God of War commanded in response._

_***Thy will be done, my Lord,***__ Charlie replied then rose up from his knee and looked his father in the eyes for the first time in nearly twenty years. It was a bold move that only one of the god's offspring would do because his get was the first to embrace the brutal truth; the gods and goddesses wanted their children to stand on their own without any interference. The demigod was shocked when he recognized the mirth that danced in his father's eyes because they normally held a fond respect for his children._

"_Don't looked so surprised, Charlie," Mars started after switching to English and then continued, "You're one of the few of my children to make it so far into adulthood. I know you've always felt like you disappointed me because you never went into the military but that couldn't be further from the truth. You chose a path no less difficult or honorable than that of a soldier. Defending hearth and home by being a police officer only means that your battles are closer and those you protect give you little glory."_

"_True but there are times when I wonder what would've happened if I'd taken that appointment to West Point," the half-mortal admitted sheepishly then voiced his real concerns. "Where will Bells stay if she survives?"_

"_WHEN little Isabella survives, because Victoria has never sired a demigod before, she'll stay with your younger brothers and sisters at camp. Thaddeus is too afraid of your legend with the Legion and what he thinks you'll do to him if he doesn't look out for her," his father laughed and Charlie joined him. As it faded, so had the dream._

_After the older demigod woke up and finished his morning routine, the Chief rearranged his schedule for the long trip ahead. His mother had made a large lunch on Friday then watched sadly as Bella ate the plateful of drugged food on her plate. The little girl's head slumped forward in sleep not long after she finished the meal. Charlie picked her up and carried his daughter out to Marie's sedan for the drive to The Wolf House._

_Little Isabella Swan woke up on a hard dirty floor, her head supported by a rolled up jacket, to the sounds of birdsong and insects off in the distance. She was aware that every inch of her skin tingled as her eyes fluttered open. The young child sat up and looked around then felt recognition; this place was the burned down house from her dreams. She got up then used the act of brushing herself off to get a grip on the fear that had knotted her stomach. Something in the back her mind told her that Daddy and Nana Marie weren't here and she needed to face whatever happened alone._

_Bella took about an hour to fully explore the creepy ruin then sat down on the edge of a marble fountain in the inner courtyard to think. Ever since she could remember, Daddy had taken her out camping and showed her how to do what he'd called survival stuff. Her brain started to automatically comprise a list of things to do. The first one was to find a defensible position to set up camp. The inner courtyard was the perfect place because there were only two sets of double doors that opened into it and it was surrounded by walls._

_Next, she had to gather sticks for a fire but before she headed out into the woods, she felt in the front pocket of her Gap Kids jeans and smiled when she felt the familiar shapes of the flint and steel Daddy showed her how to use the last time they'd gone camping. The rest of the morning was spent gathering wood; one of the sticks she found was about twice her size, an inch an a half thick, and almost perfectly straight. Bella knew from her dream that something was going to happen when the sun went down so she started her fire then used her jacket to tie one set of double doors closed. Afterward, she sat by the fire with the long stick at her feet and waited._

_A wisp of noise, the sound of claws clicking across marble reached the small demigoddess' ears and she stood up at the same time her foot knocked the end of the long stick into the fire. Bella turned toward the only open set of double doors stared into the lengthening shadows there._

"_Here I am," she said in flawless Italian then watched as five large wolves stalked through the doors and began to circle the courtyard while they growled at her._

_The small girl knelt down slowly until her hand wrapped around the large stick. She picked it up then held it two-handed as she stood there and waited for one of the beasts to make the first mover. What she was unaware of was the white she-wolf that watched her from deep within the shadows of the doorway. Lupa, the Wolf Goddess, set her muzzle in a wolfish grin as she recognized the deviance in the child's stance. There was little doubt in the she-wolf's mind that her pack was going to leave this sacred ground with a new cub._

_The first wolf boldly stalked toward Bella and the tiny half-blood surprised him when she smacked the end of his muzzle with the fiery end of her makeshift spear. He yelped in pain and skittered backward to the sound of his litter mates' mental snickers. Another wolf tried to rush the girl but she met the attempt by swinging the firebrand and the animal's legs were knocked out from under him. The tiny mortal was temporarily overbalanced and one of the remaining wolves used the opportunity and leapt past the child while it raked claws down her back._

_Bella bit into her lower lip and barely managed to hold in her screams of pain. Tears trailed down her cheeks but she managed to hit the offending beast in its hind quarters and set the tail on fire. The wolf yelped then jumped into the fountain and doused the flames in the stagnant water there. To an extent, the kid gloves had come off for the wolves. Instead of attacking one at a time, they made a coordinated effort. The small child ended up with another set of scratches but for the most part the pack just toyed with her. They kept bumping into her with their shoulders as they rushed past her. Her flaming cudgel had been knocked from her grasp during the wolves' first pass yet she continued to try to hit and kick the animals. The pack ended the fight when their mother and Alpha made her way into the enclosed courtyard._

_***Peace, you have proven yourself to be a worthy Child of Rome, Isabella Marie Swan. We still have many leagues to travel before we rest and I tend to your wounds,* **__Lupa told the child then turn and raced out of the building. The rest of the pack followed behind her. Bella fisted one of her hands into a wolf's flank and trotted wearily beside it. The animal stopped several times and it late at night before the pack and the exhausted child reached the borders of camp. A group of older demigods raced out to greet them and one of them picked Bella up and carried her the rest of the way._

**AN2: There will be an update for Spurs tomorrow and I'm still researching my sci-fi challenge. This story was just something that popped into my head; Ch 1 up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Quest for the Divine Flame**

Ch. 1: Going Home

BPOV

"B-B-Bella, it's time for breakfast, what's taking you so long," a prepubescent male voice stammered as a hand shook my leg while I was laid out on my stomach.

"Dreaming," I grumbled as I lifted up to squint at the idiot that had been sent to wake me up over my shoulder then glanced between the two naked girls curled into my sides. "Apparently, it was a very good dream. I'll be at the mess tent in a minute, Marco."

My eleven-year-old half-brother raced out of my tent as fast as his legs would carry him. _The boy is finally learning_ I thought then reluctantly nudged my bedmates awake. My arm still ached from the branding ceremony and my head pounded with the mother of all hangovers; the last night of camp the children of Bacchus threw a true bacchanal for all the campers that were 17 and older. This had been the first year be invited to the party and I was the first to admit that I'd overdone it. Toni and Jamie, both daughters of the Wine God, kissed my cheeks then picked up their clothes from the floor and ran back to their cabin.

I absently traced the new vertical slash that had been added underneath my Legion tattoo; it was my eleventh. Eleven slashes for each year survived at camp. It was tradition that each camper was given a magical branding of a Roman Eagle above the letters SPQR and a vertical slash underneath that after their first year at camp. After the hot brand was removed from the campers arm, a special bluish black ink was poured into the new wound then it was sealed with Nectar, the drink of the gods. The area was then dried and what was left over was a tattoo with a thin scar around the borders. It was an emblem of pride for everyone. Outside of camp, the ink manipulated the Mist so that mortals weren't able to see it; that way our human parent never had Child Services called on them for abuse. Upon reaching 16, a camper can dispel the Mist if they want to.

My finger moved from my new slash over to the one I'd gotten the summer I turned 14. That had been a bittersweet summer; sweet do to the fact that I'd been undefeated in single combat and Lupa named me Camp Champion, but bitter because I was forced to face my sexual orientation for the amusement a few jackasses. During the two previous summers, the other girls my age at camp spent most of their time gushing over boys but they never interested me. That particular summer, Todd Shire, a son of Mercury, decided to play a cruel joke on me because I kept shooting down his younger half-brother, George's, advances then ended up thrashing the idiot so bad that he spent the remainder of camp in traction.

Todd found out that Miranda, one of the daughters of Venus, had abandoned her post during a game of capture the flag to sneak out of camp to make out with her mortal boyfriend. The bastard used that to blackmail her into tricking me so that I fell in love with her. Truth of the matter was that it wasn't an overly difficult task because I already had a massive crush on the beautiful older girl. Miranda had been 16, with flowing red hair, porcelain skin and deep blue eyes. Those new feelings she elicited from me were confusing and I hadn't understood them at first. The Goddess of Love's daughter had been gifted with the power of Charm Speak and it was less than three days before I was hopelessly in love with her. In between all the fights, training sessions and other classes I followed her around pouring out my heart to her.

The mastermind of the sick joke let it go on for over a month before had his pawn deliver a kill shot. It was lunchtime and I walked next to Miranda with my tray of food. She stopped in the middle of the Mess Tent and shouted that she had a boyfriend, never loved me and that I was nothing more than a dyke freak. Todd and several others laughed but I managed to hold back my tears. I placed my tray on the nearest table then walked out of the tent. The second I was positive that nobody was able to see me, I ran back to the Mars barracks then gathered all my things. I set up a tent on top of a hill that overlooked the camp and finally let myself cry. That tent remained my home for the rest of camp and I enjoyed the privacy so much that I replaced it with the larger one that I still used.

Lupa performed a Banishing Ceremony and exiled Todd; part of it was having the skin that contained the demigod's tattoo cut off. Last I'd heard, he got caught knocking over a string of liquor stores and was doing a dime in Chino. Miranda was given ten lashes for abandoning her post and five more for sneaking out of camp but she'd gotten to stay. She eventually apologized but I hadn't forgiven her until last summer; the redhead died when we stormed the Kronos' Palace during the recent Titan War.

I pulled on some drawstring yoga pants, flip-flops and my purple camp t-shirt then headed down to breakfast. The Mars kids started to slam their fists into their table when I walked into the Mess Tent as a sign of respect. I smirked then gave them a nod and jumped into the chow line. After my plate was full, I headed over to the head table. The Camp Officers that had been sitting with their siblings got up and joined me. This summer had been as emotionally draining as last year and I knew my subordinates wanted some answers.

"Imperator, are the rumors true," my cousin, Donald, asked. No matter what the situation, he was one of the few campers that insisted on always referring to my rank, even if it was mostly honorary. I had been promoted to Imperator – General – two years ago after Lupa named me her Second-in-Command after my predecessor had died while on a quest. Despite the honor, I'd always felt that there were older and better qualified campers but the she-wolf's word was law.

The rest of the Command Staff glanced pointedly at the only empty chair at the table then back to me expectantly at the same time I shoveled a forkful of scrambled eggs into my mouth. I chewed slowly while I organized my thoughts, there were still things that needed to be kept them but the deserved some answers. It was obvious from my vantage that the rest of the campers were straining to hear the conversation but head table had been enchanted so that nobody else was able to hear whatever was discussed at it. By the time I swallowed, I knew what I'd tell them.

"Yes, the Giant King has risen but he hasn't recovered his full strength. I'll need those of you that are staying for the year to push the others in their training. Those of us that are going home will have to keep a constant watch out for enemy movements; I'll be expecting updates from all of you throughout the year. Lupa will be leaving camp periodically to follow up on some leads and there might be a quest or two before next summer. Donny, make sure Marco is ready just in case and keep an eye on that Percy kid," I explained and the others saw that was all I was going to say on the matter for now.

With the official topics closed, we fell into an animated conversation about the previous night's bacchanal. After breakfast was over, we all returned to our quarters. I grabbed a pair of clean jeans, panties and my toiletries bag then made my way to the showers. The hot water felt good, it even helped a little with my hangover. Unfortunately, I needed to catch a flight and had to cut the shower short. I rushed back to my tent then finished getting ready. My bunk was stripped and the soiled linens were piled up for the wood nymphs that acted as the camps cleaning service during the "off season." I slung my loaded duffle bag over my shoulder then made my way down to the van outside the camp.

The faun, Chauncey, waited behind the wheel of the van for the first load of campers that were going home. He was engrossed in the latest issue of Playgirl and hadn't seen me climb aboard. Where nymphs were bisexual by nature, he was the only gay faun that I'd met. Now pushing 50, he'd been a top notch protector in his day but retired from active duty three years ago to spend time with his mortal life partner. Not long after that, the college professor was gunned down during a convenience store robbery. Chauncey came back to Camp Roman and took up an administration post. The former protector was ready to hit the dating scene again but was worried about taking another mortal lover.

"Must be some nice looking beefcake if you're that wrapped up in your magazine," I whispered into his ear and laughed when the old goat jumped with a strangled scream.

"Damn it, Hells Bells, you could've given me a heart attack. Besides, even you have to admit that looking at eye candy is nice from time to time. Too bad all these models are in their early twenties. I'd do myself some permanent injury if I took one of those pretty young things to bed," he responded with a wicked grin. The faun had become a good friend over the years and helped me come to terms with being a lesbian.

Our normal banter was cut short because the van started to fill with half-bloods. The faun huffed then quickly hid his magazine on the side of his seat. All too soon, he started to drive to San Francisco. He stopped first at the train then bus stations and I was the last one in the van by the time he parked in the white zone of the airport. Before I disembarked, I gave Chauncey a kiss on his stubbly cheek and wished him luck finding a boyfriend. As usual, I chuckled as I passed through the security checkpoint and boarded my plane. Thank the Gods that my Imperial Gold weapons or armor never set off the metal detectors.

The plane ride to SEATAC was boring but luckily the flight wasn't filled so I had gotten to stretch out along the seats in my row and catch a nap. Groggily, I stumbled off the plane and into the terminal with my duffle clutched in my hand. The cool damp air helped wake me fully as I meandered over to Long Term Parking to find my baby.

Three years ago, Charlie needed a new project to occupy his down time when he wasn't fishing or hunting. You would've thought that my dad was a son of Vulcan the way he loved to build and restore cars. His childhood friend, Billy Black, had been in an accident and was confined to a wheelchair so he wasn't able to drive anymore. The old Native American had planned on giving his beat up '57 Chevy truck to his son, Jacob, when the boy turned 16. Jake fancied himself a decent mechanic but had his eyes on a piece of crap VW Rabbit. My dad bought the rusting old hulk off his friend then spent an entire year working on the truck. He invited the Black's over to reveal the masterpiece he'd given to me as a birthday present.

Billy nearly fell out of his chair and poor Jake actually creamed his jeans when they saw my pimped out new ride. My dad had turned the rusted out relic into a hot rod. He'd gutted the interior and replaced it with a gold leather bench seat, an all new console with digital displays, a killer sound system with iPod dock, gold chain steering wheel and an eagle head gearshift knob. The chasse had been lowered, a more powerful engine dropped under the hood, tinted windows and the body had gotten a new paint job. What had once been weather beaten faded red was now deep purple with a black flame job on the front end edged with gold. His original idea had been to build a replica of the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill but that changed when he'd bought the Chevy from Billy.

My baby ate up the miles between Seattle and Forks at a speed that made many guys jealous. It was early evening when I parked in front of the house. Charlie's cruiser was parked in the driveway and a black and chrome custom chopper made to look like a horse was next to it. The familiar bike belonged to his cousin, Rick, an actual son of Vulcan. The two older demigods had been too busy doing over designs to turn the Chief's cruiser into his own personal Batmobile and hadn't heard me come home. I dropped off my duffle in my room then went down into the kitchen and got started on dinner. The overgrown boys rushed into the house after I made enough noise as I rattled around the kitchen.

"Bells," both men greeted me then one at a time gave me a hug and a kiss. They retreated upstairs to clean up while I started on the homemade pizzas for dinner. _Papa John ain't got shit on me _I thought as I worked.

When the guys finished washing their hands, they sat down at the table and watched me assemble the pies. I ladled a ton of sauce on the two extra-large pizzas then loaded them with sweet Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, prosciutto ham and extra mozzarella cheese. They weren't even cooked yet and my audience was drooling. I placed the pies into the oven then pulled a bottle of good Italian red wine from the rack on the counter before I sat down with the men. Rick got up and retrieved some glasses then poured us each a glass of the heavenly liquid.

"So, how was camp Bells," Charlie asked but his posture told me that he already suspected something.

"For starters, not a day into the session Jason Grace disappeared. The next day a couple of campers found an unconscious half-blood passed out outside the camp. Then I received a dream omen that Juno had been kidnapped but she told me that other heroes were on a quest to free her. These unknown demigods pulled it off but not before the Giant King woke up. He's hiding out while his strength returns.

"Juno appeared before me and Lupa and told us about an exchange of leaders and that we must unite or Olympus will fall. Lupa told me about the about the Greek demigods and we think the stranger, Percy, is one. The problem is that he has no memory of who he is or where he came from. The two of us agree that Juno has some whacked out scheme to get both sets of half-bloods to work together. While we wait for another omen, Lupa decided to activate the reserves – just in case their needed – but hasn't told the other campers yet," I explained and the men shared a look then grunted.

"We both figured as much because monster activity since the last Titan War has gone through the roof," my father admitted.

"I've spent the summer visiting all of the surviving demigods of our generation and they have all started to prepare themselves for whatever happens," Rick added before he took a sip of his wine.

"Oh yeah, to make matters worse, I ended up with a younger half-brother; Marco Blaine," I muttered and the others chuckled.

"Cut the kid some slack, Bells, Marco is a good kid at heart," Charlie commented and I realized he'd known about my brother for some time. He must've noticed the shit storm of anger roiling behind my eyes because he quickly went on.

"Your mother asked me not to tell you. Jeff Blaine caught Victoria's favor after he won his second Gold medal as an Olympic wrestler. He is one of those mortals that can see through the Mist. Jeff managed to turn his celebrity into a successful acting career with the help of his friend, Trevor McLean. He knew the dangers a demigod faced and told your mother that he'd protect Marco, after the boy was born, because the actor didn't want his son in her world. Victoria explained that one day; Marco wouldn't have a choice then gave Jeff my number. The man's been worried about his son and I've tried to reassure him. Besides how bad could the boy be?"

I blew out a breath then answered, "He's still a spoiled brat but I'll admit that Marco's gotten better. At first, he thought he'd get his way by constantly dropping his dad's name. When nobody was impressed and he found out I was his older sister, the little shit started the throw around my name. Marco eventually disobeyed a direct order so instead of getting lashes, I had him spanked in front of the entire camp. By the end of the summer session he wasn't as much of a discipline problem and started to improve his fighting skills. I don't know which of us was more proud when he won his first fight. The kid decided to be a year round camper."

"See, if the boy wants to keep training then he's not that bad," Dad commented with a smirk and part of me wanted to smack it off him but he was right.

The timer on the oven had gone off and I went over and took the pizzas out. I cut the two pies into slices and we all helped ourselves to the yummy goodness. We ate in silence and Charlie offered to do the dishes when we finished. Me and Rick went into the living room to watch some TV. Dad joined us and we all laughed at Mike and Molly. The men looked like they wanted to talk some more about camp and what was going on but I made a pre-emptive strike.

"So Dad, anything new happen around Forks while I was gone," I asked and he smiled at my dodge.

"As a matter of fact, a new doctor started at the hospital. He and his wife adopted six teenaged kids that will be going to school with you. I really haven't had a chance to go over to the hospital to introduce myself yet because of all the time I've spent on the phone with Jeff Blaine when I wasn't working," my father offered and I arched a brow in surprise.

Forks hardly ever got any new faces so I imagined they were already the source of curiosity and gossip. Well, I was going to be able to take the measure of the Cullen kids at school in the morning because it was open registration for classes before the start of term on Monday. Thankfully, all I had to do was sign up for three classes because my last three of the day was taken up with ROTC. I yawned and realized how tired I was.

"Hey guys, I'm going to head up to bed," I muttered then shuffled upstairs to my room and groaned when I saw the packet of reports that magically appeared on my desk. It looked like I wasn't going to get any sleep for at least a couple of hours.

Morning had come too quickly but it wasn't my alarm clock that'd woken me up; it was the sound clashing metal and two idiots that should've known better screaming battle cries at each other in the predawn hours. The jackasses were lucky that our house was at the end of street and most of the other houses had been empty for years. I rolled out of bed then stalked downstairs and out the back door. Charlie and Rick were sparring with gladiuses **(AN: a gladius is a roman short sword but I'm not sure how to spell the plural)**. With a smirk, I ran a zigzag pattern across the lawn then leapt, twisting in mid-air, and punched Rick in the side of the neck.

"You ugly fuckers need to keep it down because I, at least, still need my beauty sleep," I mocked as I meandered back inside. Sleep was useless now so I decided to get dressed.

**AN2: So, by now you realize there is an extra member of the Cullen clan. Eddie is still single but I've got plans for his ass. The extra member is female; it will either be Chelsea, Heidi or Tanya. Whichever it is will end up as Bella's love interest. Any suggestions?**

**.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Quest for the Divine Flame**

**AN: Based on the reviews for the last chapter, Tanya it is. This chapter is just an into to the Cullen's.**

Ch. 2: New Kids on the Block

JPOV

There was still an hour before dawn and part of my vampiric enhanced senses was ever aware of what was going on in my surroundings. My _parents,_ Carlisle and Esme were enjoying a very sensual round of lovemaking. The soft spoken caramel haired vampire was making sure that her scent was all over her husband before he went to work at the hospital. Edward, my _younger brother_, had a CD of the Chess Soundtrack blaring on repeat to block out the sounds of passion while he fretted in his closet over what to wear when we went to register for classes at school today. I almost snorted because that boy was so far in the closet that he was Narnia. Emmett and Rosalie, my _other brother and twin sister_, were engaged in some wild-rabid-monkey-sex with Tanya and there were no other beings around our property for miles. All of that was noted in less than a millisecond but the bulk of my attention was on the feeling of Alice's mouth bobbing up and down on my member at vampire speed. One of her petite hands played with her clit and we came together; me with a grunt and Alice with muffled scream. I picked her up and lay her on the bed then cleaned slick folds with my tongue.

We cuddled in each others arms and I heard when Carlisle left for work. Esme slipped into her office to work on some designs to remodel a couple of the guest rooms. Tanya left her bedmates and returned to her room. Seconds later, I heard the shower turn on. Eventually, Alice's eyes glazed over with a vision and when she came out of it, she pulled on a robe then flashed up to Eddie's room. The pansy-assed Yankee was in the middle of a hissy fit about not having anything to wear. The clock on the nightstand told me it was 7:00 am. There was an hour before the school opened for registration and for some reason I found myself looking forward to starting another year of high school. I made my way from the bed and into the en suite for a quick shower. My wife joined me a minute later but there wasn't enough time to have any fun. I wasn't surprised to find that she'd laid out clothes for us to wear before getting into the shower.

Alice, being the psychotic fashionista that she was, shopped for everyone's clothes and made sure they dressed up to her stylish standards. Thankfully, she'd stopped trying to dress me up like some preppy douche bag years ago. Fashion meant nothing to me; I was a soldier and only needed my clothing to be functional and durable. The tiny terror had found a happy medium in places like Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean and some place she'd found online – Urban Commando Outfitters. While the pixie dressed in some designer wraparound cardigan dress with calf-high brown suede boots, I put on the hip looking replica WW2 Army bomber jacket with faux fur lining over an olive drab military style dress shirt, light brown t-shirt, some brand of boot cut jeans that I hadn't recognized and Doc Martins. Alice completed what she called my "improved sexy Top Gun look" with a pair of mirrored aviator shades.

Together, we made our way downstairs to wait for our siblings. Tanya was already lounging on the couch where she flipped through the latest issue of Town & Country. The strawberry-blonde murmured a greeting without looking up from her magazine. Then she caught our scents and put down the periodical, stood up then gave us each a hug. That particular show of affection she reserved only for Alice, I and our parents. Just like the other times I've been on the receiving end of one her embraces, my mind reflected on our family dynamics.

Carlisle had been changed in London during the 16th century. He'd been the son of a superstitious minister that had been forced to follow in his father's insane footsteps of hunting the "Creatures of the Night." The compassionate soul had been so horrified over what he'd become that he fled his home to protect the humans. Eventually, his thirst became so great that he attacked a herd of deer and realized he was able to survive on the blood of animals. For centuries he wandered and learned from the great universities but it was a lonely existence. It was in Chicago, that a dying mother's request sealed his fate.

Edward had been a 17 year-old boy dying from Spanish Influenza in the Windy City; it was his mother that begged Dr. Cullen to save her son by every means within his power. He was Carlisle's first companion and the beginning of the family. Unfortunately, the boy had been born into privileged family and raised upon the belief that the world should cater to his whim. The self-entitled little brat often told anyone foolish enough to listen that if he hadn't gotten sick then he would've joined the joined the army to find glory on the front lines of WW1. I eventually learned the truth, the elder Edward Masen had been unable to secure an officer's commission for his son so Eddie refused to consider enlisting like some kind of poor person. Then there was his mind reading ability, ever since he'd found it the prick had used it to manipulate the others so that he got his way. The fool had secrets he never realized that I knew.

Esme was the next person Carlisle changed after an attempted suicide. They'd met once before when she'd been a teen. Fate brought them back together because they were soul mates. The next one he changed was Rosalie; she'd been beaten and raped by her fiancé and his bastard friends. They'd left her bleeding to death when their father found her and changed her in a vain hope that the blonde girl would be Ed's mate. Obviously, that never happened. A few years later, she brought a wounded Emmett to Carlisle to be changed. Those two had tried to be mates but it hadn't worked out despite how they still played together and acted like a mated pair for our parents' sake.

For decades, they were the core of the Cullen family; bound by the ties of venom. Alice and I joined them not long after WW2. The hyper pixie had seen me in a vision then waited for me in Philadelphia. Our mating was instantaneous; I followed her willingly into a bizarre future with a family and distasteful diet. The family had just moved to Denali, Alaska, when we found them. Ironically, the last piece to the Cullen puzzle found them at the same time.

Tanya, in all of her strawberry-blonde glory arrived at the house just as prissy-boy himself was about to stupidly attack me. It was a mistake he would've regretted for the nanosecond that was going to be the rest of his existence. Carlisle and Esme were the first to embrace all of us with open arms; followed quickly by Rose and Emmett but the family dynamics were firmly entrenched and no matter what, the three of us were always going to be partial outsiders despite the fact that we were the three that fully embraced the idea of Carlisle and Esme being our parents. Maybe it was because of how we'd each been brought into the world of myths and monsters that we could appreciate such a nurturing couple better than our other siblings.

I started to wonder how the students of Forks High were going to react to us and tried to prepare myself for the onslaught of emotions to come. The only problem I foresaw was if some horny bastard kept hitting on my Alice and I killed the fucker painfully. Not that that was going to happen but the thought helped steady my nerve. The others had finally joined us and a hand gripped my arm then spun me around.

"YOU WILL NOT ATTACK ANYBODY! YOUR WEAK Self-CONTROL WILL NOT DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT CARLISLE HAS BUILT FOR US," Edward shouted in my face. I was tired of his bullshit and responded accordingly as I crushed his wrist.

"If you ever touch me like that again, I'll rip your fuckin' arm off and you'll be lucky to get back in a year if I don't burn to ashes first. As to my self-control, I've been a soldier all my life; first as a human during the Civil War, next during the bloodshed of the Southern Coven Wars then again on the frontlines of Europe during WW2 and finally in the jungles of Vietnam. Not once during those times had I once lost control. You weren't around for those first two, boy, but you sure as hell were around for the others but not once did you seek to defend your country.

"You've forgotten yourself for the last time. All of those incidents that forced the family to move because I _accidentally_ killed humans… what will Mom and Dad say when they find out the truth; that each time the pussy little golden boy was the one that slipped up and drained somebody in front of witnesses that I was then forced to take care of. You'd run off horrified over what you'd done then bring back Carlisle and Esme all tell them that I was the monster responsible. I won't be cleaning up your next offense, I'll shred you then feed the pieces into a nice hot bon fire," I hissed in a low cold tone of voice.

Esme had rushed downstairs after Twatward's outburst and now knew the truth about the pussy. The others just glared and growled at the bronze haired boy.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen is what your brother said true," the motherly vampire demanded in a menacing tone. The boy blunder shook his head no at first but he realized the jig was up and quickly nodded yes then looked at the ground.

"Your father and I shall deal with you later. Right now, we need to get you registered for school," she added then started for the garage. We followed her out and she directed us three guys to get into her beige Lincoln Navigator while the girls took Rose's red BMW M3 convertible.

"Oh yeah, while I'm thinking about it; just because I think about killing anyone that tries to hit on my mate doesn't mean I'll act on it. There is a big difference between thoughts and deeds. As a mind reader, you should know that but you're too much of an idiot," I quipped from the backseat and Edward scowled. He was pissed that I'd exposed him for the undisciplined peckerwood that he was. Not being allowed to drive his precious Volvo hadn't improved his move.

"Jasper! Do not bait your little brother," Esme chided me with a slight smirk.

"Sorry Mom. Did I tell you that you were lookin' exceptionally lovely today," I replied in my best Eddie Haskell impression. Emmett laughed and the rest of the drive to the high school was spent in silence.

All of the teenagers that were milling around the campus stared at us as my family made their grand reveal. The lust and jealousy levels spiked as my siblings and I waited at an empty picnic table while Esme dropped off our transcripts so we could the go register for the classes we wanted. With our enhanced hearing, we heard all the whispers about us and I wasn't the only one that mentally started a Dead Pool. A half hour later, she walked out of the office with a man in his mid-thirties dressed like a football coach. They were having a whispered discussion and the wind was blowing in such a way that the rest of us were unable to hear it. The growl of a powerful engine drew everyone's attention, human and vampire alike.

A deep purple Chevy truck with a black flame job bordered with gold pulled into the parking lot and stopped in an open spot a few spaces away from Rose's M3. The blonde vampire in question was practically salivating over the truck. When the engine stopped, I was shocked to see a girl get out of the driver's seat. Her long mahogany hair hid her features but her feminine curves were sheathed in simple jeans, an unbuttoned blue flannel shirt with a white long sleeved knit top under it and a pair of classic Chucks. She briefly greeted a few people then headed straight into the gym to pick out her classes.

"Oh joy, she came back. Why couldn't the little dyke freak stay away," some snobby bitch muttered as soon as the brunette girl was out of ear shot. There were a few mumbles of agreement as the other students began to meander to the gym building. Another brunette girl shook her head sadly while she waited for the others to head inside.

"Excuse me, but who was the girl from the truck," Tanya asked her before the other girl followed the others.

"Bella Swan, she's Chief Swan's daughter," the human girl replied shyly.

"What did that one girl call her a dyke freak," my sister questioned and the human's face blushed then she looked sad.

"Lauren's always hated Bella but it only got worse after she came out during freshman year. She's also jealous that Bells spends every summer in California at some kind of Italian heritage camp," was the reply just before the human bolted. It was obvious that the girl was painfully shy and Tanya pushed past her comfort zone by talking to her.

Esme and the coach started to walk toward us and I noticed that he moved with a weird gate. They reached us a couple of minutes later and she handed me and Edward our schedules. The others looked puzzled as the brat stared at his schedule in shock. I glanced down briefly at nearly laughed because my last three hours of the day were taken up by ROTC. Our mother cleared her throat then gestured between me, Edward and the coach.

"Coach Clapp, these are my sons Edward and Jasper that we were speaking about," she introduced us and the coach gave us a once over with a guarded look.

"Gentlemen, welcome to ROTC. You'll need to be back here at six because we'll be doing drill this weekend so I'll see you later, if you have any questions you can ask your Squad Leader," he commented then looked over his shoulder. The brunette from the hot rod truck, Bella, was walking toward the parking lot.

"SWAN," Coach Clapp bellowed and the girl glanced at him then headed our way.

"What can I do for you," she asked expectantly and I noticed her look over my family with a similar guarded expression that the elder man had used.

"These are Edward Cullen and Jasper Hale, new cadets. I want you to answer any questions they have. Make sure they finish getting registered because I need to get to a meeting with the other coaches," he told her then nodded a farewell to everyone before he left.

"It's a pleasure to meet you guys, I'm Isabella Swan but I prefer to be called Bella. Now who's who," Bella greeted us with a welcoming smile. Esme took charge of the introductions as the human girl led us into the gym but stopped when Edward said something stupid.

"As women have no place in either the military or combat, I assume you are our Squad Leader's girlfriend or sister," the moron spewed and the brunette spun around and nailed him in the chest with a roundhouse kick that knocked him on his ass to everyone's shock.

"You spew that chauvinist crap again and I'll do more that knock you on your ass. I happen to hold the rank of Cadet 1st Lieutenant and am your Squad Leader," the girl sneered then resumed her trek to the school gym. We all shared a worried glance then ran after her at a human pace while pussy-boy sulked.

With the exception of Edward, we took turns asking our guide questions. Of course, Rose had to be the first one to fire off a question and it was about Bella's truck. The strange girl told us about how her dad liked to rebuild cars then offered to let my sister take a peek into his workshop. Alice asked about the summer camp she attended every summer but the girl became evasive and only admitted to being of Italian extraction and going there to reconnect with her family. After that, she steered the conversation into learning more about us as we signed up for various classes. I felt a ton of attraction from Tanya that was directed at Bella but she only watched the human girl without asking any questions. It turned out the she was a junior like Rose, Emmett, Tanya and I. When the five of us compared schedules, it wasn't a surprise to find out that my strawberry-blonde sister was in all three of her regular classes. All of us had first period with her and lunch.

Of course, Eddie had to open his mouth and which shattered the peaceful mood.

"Isabella, when do we get issued our uniforms and what rank shall I be, Captain… Major," he asked in a bored tone.

"You'll get issued all of your books, uniforms and gear tonight. As for your rank, well cherries always start out as Cadet Privates. Much like the active duty military, you have to earn your rank," Bella replied then leaned in to whisper in his ear, unaware that we all heard, "Oh Pumpkin, I eat self-entitled maggots like you for breakfast. I'm going to enjoy making you my bitch for the year but you won't be getting any pleasure out of how hard I'll be riding your ass because I don't give reach-arounds."

With that, she said her goodbyes then headed back to her truck. Rosalie went with her because she was eager to see the Chief's workshop and latest project. Esme glared at the brat prince and ordered him to get into the car Carlisle was going to be home before the douche and I needed to get back to school. He was supposed to wait in his room without reading, writing or listening to his music until then.

"Jasper, don't think that you are free of blame in any of this. Your father and I will be speaking to you as well for keeping the truth from us," she chided me after she caught me smirking behind Edward's back. The smirk fell from my face and it was an awkward drive home.

TPOV

Bella… Bella… Bella… Bella, from the time the brunette beauty had gotten out of her truck her name and image were my world. After one thousand eight hundred and eighty-six years, I'd found my mate. The pull was instantaneous and I was sure that Jasper felt my lust spike which was the natural reaction to finding one's mate along with the desire to claim her. I needed to plan how I was going to make sure Isabella was all mine. _Maybe I should ask Alice to help._

"OhmygodofcourseI'llhelpyou,silly," Alice squealed in a rush after she'd received a vision about asking her.

**AN2: Bella's already done something not normal. Next chapter, Rose checks out Charlie's garage and more.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Quest for the Divine Flame**

Ch. 3: The Mysterious Swans

RPOV

After that scene between Bella and Edward where she put the little prissy twat in his place, I just knew she was a tough-as-nails bitch that was my kind of woman; that we were going to be good friends. When she'd said goodbye to my family, I just had to get a look inside her baby and really wanted to see her dad's garage. I slid into the passenger side of the truck and discovered the inside had been just as pimped out as the outside. The human girl gunned the engine and I smiled at the perfect rumble but I nearly jumped out my seat when Dean Martin singing Volare blared from her speakers. She reached over to her 16GB iPod Nano Touch that was plugged into the console and fiddled with it; a couple of seconds later The Stray Cats replaced Dean then we were on our way. Part of me was sad about the change of music because it reminded me of the last time my family had gone to Vegas for vacation.

"Sorry, I've got a pretty eclectic taste in music. I listen to everything except rap," Bella explained while she drove. Every few seconds, her hand drifted down to a red button on the dashboard that I assumed went to a nitrous system.

"That's okay but just out of curiosity, why don't you listen to rap," I commented back.

"Mostly because it's a bunch of crap. All of those so-called rappers are nothing but a bunch misogynistic thugs and posers. Nobody really gives a shit about hearing what's in the crib, the kind of ride the have or preaching about bustin' caps in people or treating women like they're less than human beings. Besides, Dr. Seuss is the only Master Rapper, everybody else is just a pale imitation," she replied sagely as she parked in the driveway. I looked at her for a moment then started to crack up.

There was a Police Cruiser on the other side of the two car driveway. It looked like the Chief was home. Bella led me through the front door and gave me a quick tour of the house. It was a modest two-story house that needed a little work but had the air of a true home. There were four bedrooms, three upstairs along with a bathroom and linen closet. The last bedroom was on the first floor and had been converted into a combination library/office. The living room was to the right of the front door and the dinning room/kitchen was on the left with a half wall that blocked the cooking area from being seen from the living room. There were two doors in the kitchen area; one for a pantry and the other that opened onto the enclosed porch that also a washer and dryer.

The other girl directed me onto the porch then through a door out to the garage. We heard the clang of a metal tool hitting the concrete floor and a man muttering as we entered the garage. A pair of masculine legs was sticking out from underneath a beat up 1948 Tucker Sedan. Suddenly, I wasn't sure if this had been such a good idea because the scent of his blood was more powerful than any I'd ever felt before and I had to continually swallow mouthfuls of venom. One fact flashed in my mind while I fought to keep control; I'd spent time with Bella, first at school, next in her truck and finally during the tour of her house and not once had I felt an ounce of bloodlust. In truth, there was a quality in her scent that was different than other humans. That same quality was laced through the intoxicating aroma that wafted from the girl's father.

"Dad, I brought somebody home to meet you," my host called out to the oblivious mechanic.

There was brief spout of muttering in some language that sounded like Latin just before the creeper rolled from underneath and revealed the man upon it. My body became a battle ground as I was torn between swallowing copious amounts of venom and my pussy throbbing as my arousal soaked my panties then started to trail down my legs. Now I was grateful that I listened to Alice and had worn leggings underneath my jeans because I wasn't going to be leaving a puddle behind. For a brief second, I would've sworn that Chief Swan's face distorted.

At first, he looked like a guy that was pushing 40 with grey streaks at his temples but then I was looking at a man that looked no more than 23 at most. His chocolate eyes shown with mischief and his sensuous lips twisted into a _fuck me_ smirk. The t-shirt clung to the man's muscular torso like a second skin and I noticed his right forearm had some kind of tattoo. Admittedly, I wasn't paying attention to his body art because every last scarp of reason I possessed was fighting against instinct to rip off his clothes then fuck him into submission while I marked him.

"Hey Bells, so who's your friend," he replied as he wiped off his hands. His baritone voice made a bee line from my eardrums straight to my dripping core.

"This is Rosalie Hale, the eldest daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. I ran into her family at school; a couple of her brothers are going to be in ROTC with me. She's a total gearhead and asked me a ton of questions about my truck so I thought I'd bring her with me so she could talk to you about everything," Bella quipped then made the excuse that she needed to grab a shower then get ready for drill before she left us alone, much to my dread.

"So, Miss Rosalie, what'd you like to know," the Chief asked with an old school charm that would've given Jasper's Texas drawl a good run for its money.

"You can call me Rose, Chief Swan," I practically purred back.

"Okay, but only if you call me Charlie; I'm Chief Swan when I'm in uniform," Charlie quipped and a few more shreds of my rational thought melted away.

For an hour the god before me ate away at my self-control as we spoke Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver, and Auto Trend. I was at the breaking point when my cell phone buzzed with an incoming text. Alice and Tanya were pulling up out front. Less than a second later the doorbell rang and we both heard Bella jog downstairs to answer it.

"That would be my sisters, Alice and Tanya. Our mom is planning a special dinner before Edward and Jasper head back up to the school for Drill," I commented and Charlie looked crestfallen for a second but masked it quickly and led me back into the house.

Charlie introduced himself to my sisters and I noticed that Tanya seemed to have the same reactions to Bella that I had with her father. Unlike me, however, the strawberry-blonde seemed to understand what was going on. Her onyx eyes were taking in every inch of the human girl's tone form currently dressed in camouflage fatigue pants, combat boots and an olive drab wife-beater over a sports bra. Bella's mahogany hair was still damp from her shower and was pulled back into a tight braid. Alice deftly maneuvered us out of the Swan's house and into her 911 Turbo; I'd never been happier that the pixie was such a social butterfly since she'd joined the family.

Mercifully, the drive back to our house was over in less than ten minutes due to Alice's driving. Tanya and I were too far gone to have waited much longer. Before the car had even stopped, the two of us were out of the automobile and rushing through the house up to my room. We were both dimly aware of a confused Carlisle and Jasper but the ache in our cores needed to be dealt with more then upholding the mandates of etiquette. Clothes were shed and left a trail as we flashed down the hallway to my door. Once we were safely in my bedroom, I found myself pushed onto the bed and my companion strapping on the massive green dildo we jokingly called Godzilla.

Emmett, despite his bulky size, was a good lover but my past was always present in his mind. He knew what Royce and his lackeys had done to me and had been extremely patient when we tried to build a relationship. The overgrown teddy bear made sure our lovemaking was always gentle or playful but at times like this, I needed more. Tanya understood this and gave me what I craved so badly. The strawberry-blonde pounded into me hard and fast while she roughly manhandled me. I came repeatedly to images of Charlie Swan fucking me until I forgot my own name. After I regained composure from my last orgasm, I removed the harness from my lover's body then latched onto her clit while pumping three fingers into her soaked pussy.

"What's wrong with us," I pleaded as we lay entwined in my bed. The sex had taken the edge off but something was missing and I was more confused than ever.

"Nothing is wrong, Rose, we've found our mates," she mumbled gently into my ear as she stroked my hair. I was too stunned by the news to say anything else. Eventually, we got out of bed, dressed then made our way our father's office to let him know what was going on.

CPOV

Normally, my work at the various hospitals I was employed by actually calmed me but not today. My darling, Esme, had called me this morning just after the start of my shift and informed me of everything that had been said during the argument between Jasper and Edward. As if hearing the awful truth second hand wasn't bad enough, Emmett and sent me a video of his brothers' encounter that he had recorded with his iPhone. I thanked God that I'd been a vampire long enough to have mastered the skills of a thespian; none of my patients nor coworkers were aware of my foul mood. If the Emergency Room hadn't been busy today, I would've faked an illness then gone home.

By the time that 3 pm arrived, my rage and guilt were barely contained. Guilt because I had foolishly placed Edward on a pedestal and hadn't recognized him as the weak-willed creature he truly was; not to mention the fact that I never once questioned why such a disciplined vampire as Jasper had slipped as often as the family had been led to believe. My rage stemmed mostly from the fact that not only was the mind reader's actions a blatant slap in the face because he abused my trust but the pampered little bugger showed absolutely no remorse over what he had done. During my _lunch_, I'd called home and my wife explained how she had arranged for our _middle_ and _youngest_ sons to be in ROTC and how both of them were waiting for me to learn their punishments. It hadn't been until the drive home that I decided what said disciplinary measures would be.

Esme greeted me with a kiss when I stepped out of my Mercedes and into the garage. There was nothing salacious in that brush of lips but it affected me nonetheless. Ours had never been a passion that burned bright and hot like a comet; it smoldered below the surface and continued to build up pressure until it erupted like a volcano. The caramel haired angel led me inside the house. Our daughters were noticeably absent but all three _boys_ waited for us in the living room. Jasper was standing in the Parade Rest position in the middle of the room blank faced while Edward lounged on one of the love seats with a bored expression; it was as if he thought he wasn't going to be punished. Emmett was standing by the mantel, arms crossed over his chest while he kept his eyes trained on the bronze haired boy.

The second the spoiled brat – not that my wife and I hadn't continued to enable his poor behavior – caught my scent he started to whine about how unfair it was that he was being forced to debase himself by being registered in the ROTC program and other crap but I silenced him with a growl. I registered Esme's arousal at the sound but kept my focus on the fool in front of me. I stalked the little prig until he stood next to Jasper. For the first time in his existence in this life, he looked scared of me. His brothers seemed impressed by my behavior and my mate was… well I was going to have to take care of that later.

"Oi… Edward, do yourself a favor and don't say another word. Nothing that comes out of your mouth is going to get you out of the trouble your in and from what we all have learned, it's high time you faced the consequences of your actions. Not only shall you remain in the ROTC, I will be cutting you off from both your personal and the family accounts. I've made arrangements for you to work as a part-time orderly at the hospital. Perhaps between the ROTC and the job you will finally learn something about discipline and responsibility. In addition, you will make financial reparations to the rest of the family for all the times we were forced to move because of your weakness. Also, if you drain another human, I'll rip out your teeth; if you slip while at the hospital I won't waste time with the teeth, I'll feed you to the furnace in the basement.

"Emmett, I want you to take your little brother hunting so he won't have any accidents during Drill this weekend," I scolded the source of my disappointment then made the request of the gentle giant. After the two of them left, I focused fully on my remaining son.

I took an unnecessary deep breath, blew it out then addressed the ex-soldier, "Jasper, let me start off by apologizing for all of the times I ever doubted you. You are the most steadfast member of the family and I should've realized that you never would slip up like that. That being said, for your punishment, since you chose to act as your younger brother's keeper then you will be his keeper until further notice. You will take him hunting a minimum of once a week as well as monitoring his emotions while the family is in public unless he is at work with me. If it feels like he is about to slip, I want you to send him enough lethargy to knock him out then get him home. Now, I want you to tell me everything that happened this morning."

Tanya and Rosalie rushed past us at vampire speed and we stared at each other in confusion.

"Rose and Tanya mated with Charlie and Bella Swan," Alice trilled happily with her soprano voice that always reminded me of silver bells. My wife was thrilled at this news but I shared a look with my battle-scarred son then the two of us adjourned to the privacy of my office.

Jasper gave me a concise report of the argument that he had with his brother and then moved on to the encounter at school with the Swan girl. He went on to provide his assessment of the girl and from the fact that she was able to knock my creampuff of a son on his arse, along with the way she seemed to appraise my family, it was obvious that she wasn't completely human. What particular flavor of not-so-human, however, remained to be seen? Rose and Tanya joined us and filled us in on the whole mating issue and then my first daughter went on to tell us about her encounter with Chief Swan. My strawberry-blonde eldest daughter remained quiet as her sister spoke but something was off about her manner. I figured it had to do with the fact after all her centuries she finally found her mate.

"Charlie told me that he bought Bella's truck off of Billy Black, maybe he knows something," Rose suggested and I nodded in agreement because I had to call the Pack anyway to let them know about things anyway. I dialed the familiar number and waited.

"Hello," a woman's voice chimed on the other end of the line and at first I thought that I called the wrong number.

"Sue? Is something wrong with Billy," I asked in a worried tone.

"Carlisle… no, he's fine. Billy and I have been dating for about a year now," Sue explained and I smiled.

Happiness welled up inside me for both of them and I couldn't wait to tell Esme. Billy had been alone ever since his wife died of cancer when his son was only two months old. Thankfully, everyone had pitched in to help him cope with his grief. Sue's husband, Harry, had been killed by a rogue vampire three years ago. Jasper and Emmett had been sent down to La Push to help dispatch the fiend.

"That's great. I need to speak to my _little brother_, is he there," I commented and she snorted at the little brother crack.

It had been 75 years ago, the last time we lived in Forks, when my family ran into Ephraim Black and other members of his Pack. He had been suspicious when we first made our treaty with the tribe but let us live in peace. 40 years ago, he was the last member of the Pack that still shifted when the reservation was laid siege to by Maria and about twenty newborns. The evil wench had wanted to set up a base in Washington State in an effort to take over the entire west coast. Ephraim called me for help and my family rushed to his aid. Between all of us, we managed to defeat the newborns but Maria escaped back to Mexico. During the battle, I ended up getting injured protecting the shape shifter's human son, Thomas. With his father's blessing, he adopted me and made me an honorary member of the tribe.

"Hey old man, it's about time you called," Billy told me after he was handed the phone.

"I wish this was more of a social call but something happened that you need to know about," I admitted sadly. It had been a while since we talked and I would've preferred to catch up.

"What's wrong," the other man replied in a worried tone.

"I wouldn't say its wrong but Rose and Tanya have mated with the Swans. I understand the Chief is an old friend of yours and the rest of the family met Bella at school this morning and noticed some odd things," I explained quickly and waited nervously for a response.

"Ah… I see. Yeah, Charlie is an old friend of the entire council. I've known him since he was a boy and he's always been a bit of an odd duck," Billy began then continued to tell me about all the things that he'd noticed about his friend over the years.

While he spoke, I started to compile a list of anomalies that surround the Swan family. The conversation eventually moved on to other topics and I was shocked to learn about his car accident. Billy apologized for not calling me but, thanks to the dormant wolf gene in his DNA, he made a partial recovery. He told me that he was able to walk but he had a severe limp. He needed to use a wheelchair as a smokescreen because too many people knew how bad the accident was.

"I planned on taking Esme out for dinner and dancing in Seattle; how about you and Sue join us? We'll pick you up in an hour," I offered and was pleased when he accepted.

**AN: As you read above, there's not going to be any Pack/Cullen animosity in this story. The next chapter will cover Drill weekend and the first week of school so expect some Edward humiliation. Don't know when it will be up because I'm going to be working on The Cullen Job and possibly a couple of my other stories.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Quest for the Divine Flame**

**AN: I feel bad that I got this out late because I told somebody that it would be out yesterday. Sometimes I feel like Microsoft when I give a timeframe for updates on my stories because I hardly ever seem to get them out on time. But unlike said corporation, I feel guilt about it. Anyway, this is just a short filler chapter to bash Eddie. The next one posted will have Bella/Tanya and Rosalie/Charlie encounters.**

Ch. 4: Bella and the Bronze Fleece

JPOV

I kissed Alice goodbye then headed out to the garage while Puss-ward sulked after me. Our mother, Esme, waited for us next to Emmett's Jeep. She gave us each a kiss on the cheek and told us that she and the girls were going to be bringing "lunch" for cadets tomorrow. The candy-assed pretty boy pouted because he was forced to ride in the passenger seat. Like my siblings, I was a bit of a speed freak and we made it to the school in less than ten minutes.

After I parked, we made our way to the old Quonset hut on the other side of the football field. Six boys were milling around outside the low dome shaped building. Three of them had the teak colored skin and black hair that proved their Quileute heritage. The others I recalled were Tyler Crowley, Mike Newton and Ben Chaney. The boys from La Push each had the distinctive odor of wolves. They nodded at us but the white boys hadn't even noticed our presence yet. The morons stopped jacking around when the sound of Bella Swan's truck echoed across the field.

Newton and Crowley's jaws dropped as the brunette girl's strides ate up the distance between us. I wasn't ashamed to admit that the not-so-human looked hot in her uniform but she would never hold a candle to my Pixie Darlin'. Without stopping, she managed to hit both of the retards with a single left cross as she made her way to the door of our barracks.

"Well, Ladies, are you waiting for an invitation or are you going move your asses," Bella demanded as she stood next to the now opened door.

We hurried inside; the layout was typical for a Quonset hut. Three-quarters of the space was an open room with an office, bathroom and supply closet at the far end. Along the wall to our left were six sets of bunk beds with lockers at the foot of each; a couple of long tables with benches and took up half the other wall While a couple of couches and a television made up a small lounge area near the office. A rack of M1's was positioned right in the middle of the center aisle. The old bolt action rifles were chained in place.

"Jarrod, Paul, Embry, Mike, Tyler and Ben, these are Jasper and Edward. Make nice while Ben takes the newbies to the supply room to get their gear," the sole female barked then went to check the office.

The named boy led us back to the supply room and quickly sorted us out. Eddie and I were issued our textbooks, 3 pairs of BDU pants, 3 olive drab t-shirts, 3 long sleeved BDU shirts, web belt, combat boots and a BDU cover (hat). We went back into the main room and selected a set of bunks then stowed our gear. Bella had come out of the office and binders on the table; one for each of us.

"Alright everyone needs to take a seat because we need to go over some things before lights out," she commented as she sat on the bench on the opposite side of the table from us. When we complied, the brunette continued.

"Each of these binders contains the syllabus Coach Clapp is going to be using along with a PT and Drill schedule. You will notice that ROTC classes are only on Monday's, Wednesday's and Fridays and you will be required to wear your uniforms on those days. PT will be at 0530 on those days. We will Drill every other weekend during which there will be a PT test then we'll hit the obstacle course among other things. On non-drill weekends, two of us will still be on guard duty here in the barracks. Now, there's two hours until lights out so read through your binders and get ready to hit the sack; I'll be in the office if you've got any questions. Mike, you're on first watch, Ben's got second and I'll take last."

Our squad leader had just gotten up from the table when Edward felt the need to open his mouth.

"There is no way that I'm doing something menial as physical training. If I'm not mistaken, the O in ROTC stands for _Officer_ and officers do not muck around like common soldiers," the Nancy-boy stated matter-of-factly in a silky drawl.

My fellow cadets and I gaped at his stupidity while Bella spun on her heel then glared at him. While I freely admit that the rest of us cowered just from being in the proximity of that look, Eddie stood there smugly and practically dared her to contradict him. The smirk on his face fell a couple of seconds later when her hand shot out, wrapped around his shirt then pulled him closer to her. At first he looked like he was going to resist but a barely perceptible shake of my head prevented that.

"Alright, Pumpkin, you obviously didn't get the memo when I knocked you on your ass at registration so I guess that I need to use a less subtle method to get the point across. You. Me. Outside. Now! We'll do a little hand-to-hand; I'll even make it fair by not using my legs. If you can knock me on my ass then not only do you get out of PT but I'll resign as Squad Leader. But if I win, you'll be my bitch without complaints and accept whatever punishment I give you," the brunette girl seethed before she marched out of the barracks door.

The Peacock just stared at the space that Bella had just occupied then strutted out after her with the rest of us rushing after. Edward was dumb enough to look back at us smile and that was his last mistake. A right elbow was thrust up into his jaw which snapped his head back. That was followed quickly by a left cross and a headbutt to the bridge of his nose that dropped him to his knees. She then reigned down a series of blows that shocked me not just because they were strong enough that I heard my brother's jaw break but knocked the arrogant prick out cold. Bella knelt by the unconscious vampire and pretended to check his pulse but never actually touched him.

"Ben, get my knife and the spray bottle," she commanded and the boy in question ran back inside and came back two minutes later with the requested items.

The spray bottle was nothing out of the ordinary but the knife was an old Marine K-Bar that looked like it had seen a lot of action in the past. Every now and then I swore that the blade gleamed golden but nobody else seemed to notice. It was just another mystery to be solved. Bella used the spray bottle to wet Twatward's hair then used the knife to "shave his head" while we watched. In reality what she'd done was scalp him; somehow the blade was able to cut into his stone flesh but the vampire venom healed the wound as she went. One of the guys made a comment about the oddity of the situation.

"This old knife is sharp enough to cut through the first two layers of epidermis so that's why I was able to cut off Cullen's hair in a way that made his shorn locks look like a wig," she lied but the Forks boys bought it hook, line and sinker without batting an eye. The wolves on the other hand were like me and knew her explanation was utter BS.

"You boys get him inside and on his bunk. I'm going to go for a run to blow off a little more steam."

She tossed her new Bronze Fleece to that Ben kid then started doing circuits around the track that bordered the football field. I shrugged to the others then picked up Edward and carried him bridal style back inside. Carlisle and the rest of the family were going to be very interested in hearing about tonight when the two of us got home. Bella came in an hour later but went into her private quarters to crash.

TPOV

Morning seemed to come quicker than normal and the only reason Rosalie and I disentangled ourselves from each other and the bed was the rank smell of human food being cooked down in the kitchen. We weren't the only ones that made our way down to see what was going on; Emmett was already on the stairs when we came out of my room. The three of us found our mother, Esme, dancing around the kitchen cooking with a stupid grin on her face. I doubted that I was the only one thankful to be distracted last night when she and Carlisle had come home from dinner and dancing then rushed to their room.

"What on earth possessed you to cook," Rose asked as her nose turned up in disgust.

"You need to get used to these kinds of smells since your mate his human but if you must know, mothers of the ROTC cadets take turns making lunch and dinner for them during Drill Weekends. I just so happened to volunteer to cover both meals today," she chided and I almost started to dance myself.

Rose adopted a calculated look and disappeared back upstairs and we heard her bedroom door close not long after. Ignoring the smirks of my mother and brother, I ran back to my own room to find the perfect outfit to wear to help serve lunch to my Bella.


	6. Chapter 6

**An open letter to : PLEASE READ**

I recently received an alert from the Administrators of this site that my story, The Care and Feeding of Zombies, had been deleted from the site for violating the its rules and story guidelines. At first I was a bit upset but then I skimmed through the guidelines and realized that they were correct in their action because I happened to use the word "Bitches" within the body of the summary. All I needed to do was replace that one word then upload the story again but I put that on the back burner as I was working on updating a couple of my fics. The updates weren't going as well as I would've liked so a couple of days later I started looking for new chapters to some stories I was following. Imagine my shock when I found Author's Notes explaining that as of 6/4/2012 the administrators of were going to start taking down all stories that contained lemons and graphic violence.

Once I got over my shock, I understood that all but maybe two of my stories were going to be on the chopping block so I went back and fully re-read all the rules and guidelines again. What I learned was that the people in charge of this site basically created a major Grey Area for authors. You see, the rules and limited submission guidelines haven't been updated since _**2008**_ (and make no prohibitions against either lemons or violence) but do have a nice warning in red just before the definition of Story Ratings about the site not allowing explicit content within the stories published on .

Now here is the issue: What constitutes explicit content? We don't live inside of a 1950's sitcom where mom and dad share a room but separate bed and sleep in body covering pajamas. We live in the real world of the 21st Century. Every year, Hollywood pushes the boundaries between R and NC-17 ratings and what is acceptable within the lower rating; just as the Television Industry pushes the limits if their FCC Regulations for content. This brings us back to that red warning and the soon to be deleted stories because I don't think the administrators have thought their decision through logically.

How many authors are going to get pissed off and stop posting to this site? How many thousands of good stories are going to be lost? Or, better yet, how many fandoms are going to be completely wiped out? Think about that for a second – Supernatural fanfics… gone; True Blood and Sookie Stackhouse/SVM fics… bye-bye; Lost Girl… poof; Rachel Morgan/The Hollows Series… gone without a trace and those are just the tip of the iceberg. Then there are the fics based on Harry Potter, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle and The Hunger Games that are going to take major hits. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that they – and most fandoms – will be decimated to the point of it pointless to read whatever survives the purge (but I hope I'm wrong).

To me, it would be easier for those in charge to update the rules and guidelines then get rid of the red warning entirely or offer a separate site where such stories might be published instead of the idiotic task they've decided to undertake. Therefore, I have decided to not update any of my stories until such time as I can find a new home for them. If you know of such a place let me know and I get right on the transfer. In the meantime, I might take up the challenge of re-writing and re-imagining Sun and Moon for this site using only implied lemons and non-graphic violence.

Thank you,

J. (Kolchaksghost)


	7. Chapter 7

**New Home**

I find it ironic that right after I posted my Open Letter that I was able to find a new home. I've decided to join OrangeSmurfette and others over at The Writer's Coffee Shop; same penname but more freedom of expression. I'll start transferring my stories there very soon but don't know how long it's going to take to get everything moved. Old, completed stories and one-shots are going to be the first to go but the problem is that I plan to do some minor editing as I go which is why it might take a while to update any of my current stuff.

To find me, just go to .com then click on their library link. Hope to see all of my faithful readers over there.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I finally started uploading stories on my stories onto my The Writer's Coffee Shop account as well as on another site please check out my profile for information.**


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